Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, (right) presents Derek Corrigan with honorary citizenship at a ceremony held at Seoul City Hall.

ON his recent trip to Seoul, Korea, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan was given the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Seoul by Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul. Corrigan was in Korea to lead an official business and government delegation from the City of Burnaby, the Burnaby Board of Trade, and Tourism and Sport Burnaby.
Corrigan was honoured by the City of Seoul as an overseas VIP who has set an excellent example for both citizens and foreign residents.
“On behalf of Burnaby Council and all Burnaby citizens and businesses, I am very proud to have been granted honorary citizenship in the City of Seoul, Korea,” says Mayor Derek Corrigan. “My thanks to the Mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, for taking the time to personally bestow this honour at an individual ceremony in Seoul.”
Corrigan and the delegation also attended a meeting with Seoul Metropolitan Council where Chairman Yang Jun-uk presented him a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing his efforts to build relations between Korea and Canada and Seoul and Burnaby, as well helping to promote the rights and interests of Koreans living in Canada.
“Our relationship with Korea is longstanding and extremely important to us for the social and economic benefits it generates,” says Corrigan. “We have a Sister City relationship with Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, which is also the Korean Sister Province to British Columbia. On this visit, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hwaseong to further enhance our economic ties.”
In partnership with World Taekwondo Federation, based in Seoul, the City of Burnaby recently hosted the 2016 World Junior Taekwondo Championships. In 2016, Burnaby was the first ever city to be declared a Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Ambassador City for the work done to advance humanitarian goals and provide access for refugees to the discipline of Taekwondo. In addition, Burnaby is home to the annual Korean Cultural Heritage Festival at Swangard Stadium.